A Christian School

‘Little children., let us not love in word and speech but in action and truth’  (1 John 3:18)

As we are a Church of England School, our Christian faith lies at the heart of our ethos, creating and fostering a considerate community whilst providing a stimulating and creative learning environment where children come together to develop skills and values for life.

Our school has a strong Christian ethos which permeates throughout school life. Pupils are aware that: 'everyone is your neighbour and there is always someone to help you' and feel their voices are always heard. We strive for our pupils to develop morally, socially and personally as well as academically.

St John’s is proud of its Christian ethos and values. As a church school, the leadership, its teaching and the experiences it offers will be underpinned and rooted in our Christian values of Faith, Love, Respect and Thankfulness.

Nursery Curriculum

Our Nursery Curriculum

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) sets standards for the learning, development and care of children from birth to 5 years old. All schools and Ofsted-registered early years providers must follow the EYFS, including childminders, preschools, nurseries and school reception classes.

The EYFS seeks to provide:

• Quality and consistency in all Early Years settings, so that every child makes good progress and no child gets left behind.

• A secure foundation through learning and development.

opportunities that are planned around the needs and interests of each individual child and are assessed and reviewed regularly.

• Partnership working between practitioners and with parents and/or carers. • Equality of opportunity and anti-discriminatory practice, ensuring that every child is included and supported.

There are four guiding principles that shape practice in Early Years settings:

• Every child is a unique child, who is constantly learning and can be resilient, capable, confident and self-assured.
• Children learn to be strong and independent through positive relationships.
• Children learn and develop well in enabling environments, in which their experiences respond to their individual needs and there is a strong partnership between practitioners and/or carers.
• Children develop and learn in different ways and at different rates. The framework covers the education and care of all children in Early Years provision, including children with special educational needs and disabilities.

There are 7 areas of learning and development that must shape our educational provision. These areas are all important and interconnected. The first three are particularly crucial for igniting children’s curiosity and enthusiasm for learning, and for building their capacity to learn. These three areas are called the Prime Areas. These are followed with four Specific Areas, through which the prime areas are strengthened and applied.

Prime Areas:

• Communication and Language (C&L)
• Personal, Social and Emotional Development (PSED)
• Physical Development (PD)

Specific Areas:

• Literacy (L)
• Mathematics (M)
• Understanding the World (UW)
• Expressive Arts and Design (EAD)

These areas are used to plan your child’s learning and activities. Our staff ensure these activities are targeted to your child’s individual interests, needs and stage of ability. There are also many resources available for children to choose themselves to develop their independence.

The School Day

Dragon Flies

9.00 Session arrival, self registration and free flow play.

9.15 Circle Time

(This is when we will teach Phonics, Maths or Understanding the World .)

9.30 Discovery Inside

10.15 Snack

10.30 Discovery Outside

11.30 - 12.00 Lunchtime

1.00 Discovery Outside

1.00 Afternoon Session Begins / Circle Time

1.15 Discovery Inside

2.00 Tidy Up time

2.15 Afternoon snack

14.45 Circle Time and Story

15.00 Home Time

Please note: Wednesday’s session begins at the earlier time of 8.45. If you are collecting your child at lunchtime on Wednesday this will be at 11.45. The afternoon session on a Wednesday begins at 12.15 and finishes at 3.15. 

Bumblebees

9.00 Session arrival, self registration and free flow play.

9.15 Circle Time

9.30 Discovery Inside

10.15 Snack

10.30 Discovery Outside

11.00 Small Group Time

11.30 - 12.30 Lunchtime

12.30 Afternoon Session Begins

12.30 Sleeping time

Followed by Discovery Outside

14.30 Tidy-up Time

14.45 Circle Time and Story

15.00 Home Time

Please note: Wednesdays session begins at the earlier time of 8.45. If you are collecting your child at lunchtime on Wednesday this will be at 11.45. The afternoon session on a Wednesday begins at 12.15 and finishes at 3.15.  

Phonics

At St John’s we follow the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds phonic scheme. This begins in the

nursery with ‘Foundations for Phonics’. These are short, fun and engaging sessions where children

practise the skills they need before they learn to read in Reception. We will do this through;

listening games, songs, rhymes and hearing syllables, identifying initial sounds and oral blending.

The children will also take part in Love of Reading sessions where they will have multiple

opportunities to hear high quality texts and explore these through language development, songs

and sensory experiences.

Once a week, your child will bring home a book for you to share and enjoy together.

Maths

The skills that your child learns in Maths during their time in Nursery will lay the foundations for

more complex maths in their future. Through practical, hands on activities in their play children will

experience counting, sorting, subitising, measuring, shape and sorting. Maths is embedded

throughout our learning environment.

Marking Making

In Nursery, we believe that ‘mark marking’ should be integrated into play. Throughout the Nursery

environment, there will be opportunities for children to make marks in a variety of ways in

different media.. To prepare hands for writing, we will practise lots of fine motor activities as this

improves strength and flexibility in your child's hands.

Parents as Partners

St John’s Nursery School recognises parents as the first and most important educators of their

children. We value your role and look forward to working in partnership with you. To ensure good

lines of communication between parents and Nursery, we use a system called iConnect. This will

enable us to inform you of nappy changes, accidents, and exciting things your child takes part in

during their day.  More information will follow once your child begins at Nursery.

Key Worker

On entering our Nursery your child will be assigned a Key Worker. This means that each member of staff has a group of children for whom they are particularly responsible. Your child’s key worker will be the person who works wiht you to make sure hat the nursery provides is right for your child's particular needs and interests.

The child’s Key Worker will:-

*Help your child become familiar with the provision & to feel confident and safe

*Develop a genuine bond with your child and their parents and offer a close, settled relationship.

*Meet the needs of each child in their care and respond sensitively to their feelings, ideas and behaviour.

*Use methods of observation and trackers to record your child’s progress.

Settling-in Process

To assist the children in settling in, we have a staggered intake which means your child will start at a specific time and day. The amount of time they spend at Nursery will increase gradually each day. From experience, this helps children feel settled, safe and confident in leaving their parents or carer. Children that need longer to settle in will be supported with an individual plan for additional settling in days. Ultimately, we want your child to feel happy to come to the Nursery each day.

Behaviour

At St John’s we aim to create a safe and happy environment where exemplary behaviour enables all to feel secure and respected within an atmosphere of learning without limits. Everyone in our school is expected to maintain the highest standards of personal conduct, to accept responsibility for their behaviour and encourage others to do the same. We recognise that each individual child is at a different stage of social learning. Only through a consistent approach to supporting their behaviour will we be able to achieve an environment in which children can learn and develop as caring and responsible people.

What Should My Child Wear?

Nursery children do not need to wear a uniform, but please choose practical clothes for school. Your child will be very active in Nursery - playing both indoors and outdoors and getting messy! The children will have the opportunity to explore the outside every day, so please provide your child with a named coat and a pair of wellies for outdoor learning. In summer, please provide a sun hat and apply a long lasting sun cream to your child before coming to the Nursery. If you do wish to buy your child a Nursery uniform it consists of:  a yellow short sleeved t-shirt and jumper. This can be purchased from:  www.onlineschooluniform.co.uk

How Can I Prepare My Child For Nursery

In Nursery, children are encouraged to be as independent as possible. Below is a list of how you can

help prepare them:

*Ask them to find their own belongings (e.g. get your coat)

*Teach them how to put on their coat all by themselves

*Teach them how to put on their shoes all by themselves

*Teach them to use the toilet by themselves and be able to wipe their own bottom

*Teach them how to wash their hands properly

*Ask them to follow simple one step instructions

Illness

If your child is ill and unable to attend Nursery, please call the school office and explain their

absence. If your child has sickness or diarrhoea they must not return until 48 hours after their last

incident.